jeneric journeys

Be careful what you wish for because it sometimes becomes your reality!  As we planned this adventure, we craved authenticity and sought out an experience that more closely resembled living in a Central American city rather than spending our days lounging at an oceanside resort with amenities at our fingertips. So the title of this first post could also be “Transitions and Perspective” but nonetheless, Belize is UnBELIZEable. 

Our odyssey began with smooth travels from Detroit to Atlanta to Belize City to San Pedro. Mayan Air was down a co-pilot for the puddle jumper from Belize City to San Pedro so they called me up to help out.

Just kidding. It’s a coveted spot for one lucky passenger and I was the lucky one on our flight. I got a gorgeous birds eye view of the place we will call home for the month – Ambergris Caye.

We arrived at our very spartan, albeit wifi-enabled and air conditioned, centrally located apartment. The first few days were rough and we both inwardly questioned our decision, but as many of you are keenly aware, we are not ones to be easily defeated and we pushed on with the confidence that sometimes you need to trudge through some shit to get to the greener pastures. Embrace discomfort is one of our mottos. Leaning on each for support, we weathered the storm of broken appliances, dogs barking incessantly, and a floor that appeared clean but turned our feet black as the night sky.

One of the best things about this apartment is the view from the rooftop patio. The sun rises over the Caribbean and sets over the San Pedro Lagoon. Check out this sunset.

Three days later, our initial unrest had morphed into a sublime appreciation and joy of our surroundings. The A/C is fixed, we figured out how to turn on the hot water heater, the dogs have become part of the cacophony of the night, and we now wear “house slippers.”  As in life, our expectations have been reset and we are finding a rhythm that melds with the chaos of a developing country and gives us an appreciation for that adventuresome spirit that sparks and propels us to expand our boundaries.  

Although our living situation is still exponentially above that of the average Belizean, we are starting to feel engrained in the ebb and flow of daily life. Ironically, the fact that we are both working remotely has been a stabilizing force on this journey (thank goodness the wifi is excellent and has enabled both of us to continue our work responsibilities seamlessly). In an odd way, work is acting as a rudder that keeps us grounded and on course. We were concerned that too much “vacation” would become mundane, but work as a backdrop has made everything else more exciting. A day broken up with a morning walk to the local bakery or coffee shop, lunch at a literal hole in the wall with the locals, and an evening spent barefoot listening to live (and sometimes even good) music at a laid back beach bar is good for the soul.

Ambergris Caye is an eclectic mix of tourists (mainly scuba divers and fisherman) and locals. Although there are a number of very nice resorts outside of town that are well appointed and “manicured,” there is a uniqueness in San Pedro (the actual city in Ambergris Caye) at an intersection of small hotels and local residences woven together in a human jigsaw puzzle of mutual respect and friendliness. Safety is not a concern and humanity flourishes in this humble town and finds a way to bloom in what often appears as abject poverty. Just this morning, I (Eric) had an impromptu cooking class with a wonderful lady in her tiny dirt floor produce market when I was following up upon learning that her son was a local fisherman (and yes, he will be bringing us fresh fish sometime tomorrow that I will cook using one of her recipes).

Our golf cart, Phineas (named for his finickiness), will serve as our transportation on the island. Golf carts are the vehicles of choice here, though there are plenty of motorcycles and bikes too. The roads are narrow and even those that are paved have huge speed bumps. They don’t seem so necessary because the carts max out at about 20 mph (totally indicative of the ‘slow living’ lifestyle down here) but it surely feels like we are bouncing around in a giant game of MarioCart.

Week #1 one is now complete and as we listen to an eclectic mix of latin music and heavy machinery in the background, we can’t wait to see how the next week plays out! We will leave you tonight with the moonrise over the Caribbean. Be on the lookout for our next post. Teaser: it involves sharks.